In wireless communication networks, such as cellular networks, mobile stations can move through large geographic areas, while maintaining a call, due to the concept of mobility. In wireless networks mobility refers to the ability of a mobile station to move between wireless access points, e.g., base stations, while maintaining communications with another communication station. Known handover techniques use mobile station measurements, base station measurements, or a combination of these measurements.
Because handovers may result in a disruption or dropping of a call, and because handovers consume network resources, handovers are typically controlled in some manner. For example, handover determinations are typically based on a comparison of measured signal strengths (either of a signals transmitted from the mobile station being measured by the base station or a signals transmitted from a base station being measured by the mobile station) with a threshold and hysteresis value. When the signal strength of signals between a mobile station and a base station currently serving the mobile station (herein referred to as a serving base station) falls below a threshold value and the strength of signals between the mobile station and another base station (herein referred to as the target base station) are above the threshold value by a predetermined hysteresis value, then the mobile station hands-off from the serving base station to the target base station. Various other ways of using hysteresis and threshold values are known in the art.